Concentrate dilution apparatus



United States Patent Inventor Assignee Herbert E. Morissette Beaverton, Oregon 756,605

Aug. 30, 1968 Dec. 8, 1970 Monsanto Company St. Louis, Missouri in corporation of Delaware Appl. No. Filed Patented CONCENTRATE DILUTION APPARATUS 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

0.5. 25 137/604 Int. 801! 5/02 Field of Search 259/4, 95,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,758,716 8/1956 Oswald 259/4 2,811,389 l0/l957 Fischer l37/604X 3,343,519 9/1967 Chapman 259/4 3,368,580 2/ 1968 Carter l37/604X Primary Examiner-Robert W. Jenkins Attorneys-Neal E. Willis; William H. Hellwege, Jr. and

William H. Duffey ABSTRACT: Dilution apparatus adapted for mounting on a shipping container of liquid concentrate and energized by the kinetic energy of the diluent, with automatic shutoff means actuated by depletion of the liquid concentrate.

PATENTEDDEB 8l978 3545727 sum 1 [IF 3 INVENTOR HERBERT E. MORISSETTE FIG.2 BY

ATTORNEY PATENTED DEC 8 I976 SHEET 2 BF 3 FIG. 3

E n WE m& R V WW E m E B R E H ATTORNEY PATENIED DEC 8 mm sum 3 [IF 3 INVENTOR F |G 6 HERBERT E. MORISSETTE ATTORNEY I CONCENTRATE nILunoN APPARATUS This invention relates'to means for continuous dilution of concentrated liquids. Morespecifically, it relates to an automatic dilution apparatus adaptedj for mounting on or near a container of concentrate. I

Prior art concentrate dilution systems are generally characterized by complex and expensive apparatus. Chemical proportioning pumps are often employed for dilution of the concentrated liquid for the intended application. Where the liquid concentrate is not furnished directly from a'process stream, a concentrate supply tank isprovided upstream of the proportioning means. If the dilution operation is to be continuous andiautomatic,the fluid level in the concentrate supply tank must be'continually replenisheda'l'his is usually accomplished application of the dilutedsolution's. One example of this need is found in the chemical treatment of wood where the liquid concentrate is furnished to remote sawmills andlumber storage areas for onsite use in diluted form. In many wood treating environments there areinadequate provisions for so-. phisticated chemical proportioning and dilution apparatus.

The apparatus of the present invention provides a compact and economical concentrate dilution system which is conveniently mounted on orfnear a concentrate shipping container andwhich has provisions-for automatic'shutoff upon depletion of the concentrate. With this unitary, containermounted apparatus, many of the complexities of prior art devicesaie circumvented-Energy to actuate the dilution apparatus of thepresent invention is provided-by the diluent itself, thus requiring no electrical power supply for the apparatus. Efficient scavenging of the concentrate from the shipping container is afforded by positive pickup means.

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a container-mounted dilution apparatus for automatic dilution of drummed liquid concentrate. i

It is a further object of the present invention to a containermounted automatic dilution apparatus havinga compact unitary design. 7 g

Another object of the present invention is to provide an automatic dilution apparatus for liquid concentrate which is acmated by the energy of the incoming diluent.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a container-mounted dilution apparatus which shuts off automatically when the container is fully scavenged.

Yet another object of the present invention-is to provide a container mounted dilution apparatus which is adaptable to a wide variety of chemical concentrates and diluents.

Other objectsand advantagesof the present invention will be apparent froma consideration of the accompanying disclosure, drawing and claims. 1

In the drawing: v f v FIG. l in partially broken away perspective view of a concentrate container with theapparatus of the present invention adapted thereto. g 1

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section view of the dilution system taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the "liquid proportioning means taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a section view-of the shutoff mechanism of the dilution apparatus taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG, 5 is apartially sectional plan view of the shutoff mechanism. I 1

FIG. 6 is avertical section view of the float bottle.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section view of the concentrate pickup means.

concentrate. In drums of this type theupper and lower ends are not removable. The upper drum end, however, usually contains two fittings for obtaining access to the contents of the drum. In FIG. 1 the larger fitting is indicated by reference numeral 12 and the smaller fitting by reference numeral 13. Fittings 12 and 13 are each threaded to receive a plug.

With further referenceto FIG. 1, adapter plate 14 of the present invention rigidly affixes the dilution system to drum 10 while resting on upper drumend ll. Attached to the underside of adapter plate 14 on the outboard end is a pair of clamp- .ing members. These members. comprise stop plate 15 which rests against the inboard lip of drum 10 and outer clamp 16 which is internally threaded to receive clamping screw 17. Clamping screw 17 is tightened against the outboard surface of drum 10m achieve sufficient clamping force to securely locate adapter plate 14. Depending from the underside of adapter plate 14 at the inboard end is a pair of feet indicated by reference numeral 18. Affixed to the upper side of adapter plate 14 is housing 19 which contains the liquid proportioning device and the automatic shutofl" mechanism of the dilution apparatus of the present invention. Hose 20 affords introduction of the carrier fluid (diluent) which may be, for example, water. Shutoff valve 21 permitsthe admission of carrier fluid to the dilution system. Thediluted solution is discharged from the apparatus through line'22.

With further reference to FIG. l,concentrate pickup hose 23 is seen within drum 10.'Affixed to the lower end of pickup hose 23 is foot valve 24. Pickup hose 23 is admitted to drum 10 through fitting 13. Aperture 25 in housing 19 is for the purpose of permitting vertical movement of lever 26 of the shutoff mechanism. Through aperture 25 passes lever 26 to which is attached float chain 27, the latter passing through fitting 12 in upper drum endll. Attached to the lower end of chain 27 is float bottle 28.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary vertical section view taken along lines 2-2 of FIG-*1. This view illustrates the position of proportioning device 29 within housing 19.

Referring now to FIG.- 3 of the drawing, proportioning device 29 is seen in plan view. .Shutoff valve 21 in the carrier fluid line is controlled manually by lever 30. The carrier fluid flowing through line 20 and valve 21 is necessarily under pressure. Hence, initial actuation of the dilution system is controlled by .the position of valve lever 30. Pipenipple 31 corinects shutoff valve 21 to bushing 32, the latter being affixed to one panel of housing 19. Proportioning-device 29 is coupled'to the inboard end of bushing 32 by pipe threads or similar means and is rigidly held by screws 32' which pass through inner housing wall 19'. In the illustrated embodiment, proportioning device 29 is an educator, sometimes referred to as an ejector. This is a device in which the kinetic energy of one fluid (primary fluid) is used to pump another fluid (secondary fluid). An educator, therefore, is essentially a pump which moves a fluid from a lower pressure to a higher pressure using the energy of a motivating fluid at a still higher pressure. The primary fluid in the present invention is the carrier fluid, for example, water. The secondary fluid is the liquid concentrate within drum 10. Thus the primary fluid (water) is introduced to proportioning device 29 through line 20 and the secondary fluid'(concentrate) is introduced through line 23. The orifice system of proportioning device 29 functions to create the desired degree of mixing of the water and the concentrate and the diluted solution is thereupon discharged through line 22. Mixing proportions can be varied through a wide range in commercially available educator assemblies. In the illustrated embodiment, orifice adjustment screw 33 provides the means for obtaining the desired dilution proportion.

With'further reference to FIG. 3, concentrate feed line 23 enters housing 19 through grommet 34. The end of line 23 fits over tapered fitting 35 which is rigidly affixed to the downstream section of proportioning device 29. The end of hose 23 is retained by clamp 36 or equivalent means.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the automatic shutoff mechanism of the dilution apparatus is illustrated. Projecting from the end of proportioning device 29 is operating rod 37. When rod 37 is fully retracted, proportioning device 29 will not pass any liquid. Rod 37 is normally in the retracted position. When rod 37 is extended, proportioning device 29 is operative and the mixing action will proceed. Affixed to operating rod 37 is sphere 38 which has a drilled passage to receive rod 37. Setscrew 39 retains sphere 38 at a preselected location on rod 37. On the inboard side of sphere 38 is flange 40 which is affixed to trigger housing 41. Flange 40 contains a vertical slot through which operating rod 37 passes. Trigger housing 41 is caused to move with lever 26 by virtue of being connected thereto by means of screw 42. A key component of the shutofl' mechanism of FIG. 4 is spring 43. The lower side of spring 43 rests upon the floor of housing 46. The central portion of spring 43, which is substantially vertical, bears against one face of proportioning device 29. Spring 43 passes over pivot pin 45 and, if desired, can rest thereupon. The upper end of spring 43 engages wall 44 of trigger housing 41. Trigger housing 41 is pivotable in a vertical plane about pivot pin 45. The entire trigger assembly is contained within housing 46 which is affixed by screws to proportioning device 29.

With further reference to FIG. 4 of the drawing, the operation of the automatic shutoff mechanism of the present invention is explained as follows: so long as there is a significant volume of liquid concentrate within the container of the dilution apparatus, the buoyant force upon the float bottle is sufficient to relax the tension in float chain 27. The downward force, therefore, on lever 26 is insufficient to deflect spring 43 in the trigger mechanism. Operating rod 37 is thus extended out of proportioning device 29 to allow the mixing action of the concentrate and the diluent to proceed. Operating rod 37 is kept extended by the urging of flange 40 against sphere 38 in a direction away from proportioning device 29. When the level of liquid concentrate is substantially depleted within the container, the buoyant force on the float bottle is reduced and the dead weight of the float bottle exerts sufficient downward force through float chain 27 to depress lever 26 in the direction of the arrow and overcome the resistance of spring 43. The depression of lever 26 causes trigger housing 41 to rotate clockwise about pivot pin 45 as viewed in FIG. 4. This rotation displaces flange 40 toward proportioning device 29, allowing operating rod 37 to return in the direction of the arrow to its normally retracted position, thus interrupting fluid flow through proportioning device 29. When the liquid concentrate in the container is depleted, therefore, the dilution operation is automatically stopped.

FIG. shows in plan view the trigger assembly of the shutoff mechanism previously discussed in terms of FIG. 4.

In FIG. 6, float bottle 28 is seen in section view. Bottle 28 can be made of plastic material, metal or any other substance which is impervious to, and nonreactive with, the liquid concentrate in which it is immersed. Within bottle 28 is a predetermined weight of ballast material 28' which can be lead shot, sand or the like. The weight of the ballast material is chosen so as to obtain proper actuation of spring 43 in the shutofi mechanism. Cap 47 on float bottle 28 is adapted to receive the lower end of float chain 27.

FIG. 7 is a vertical section view of the foot valve or pickup member for the liquid concentrate. Foot valve 24 contains V- notches 48 in the low periphery which in'surethat fi quid will be picked up into line 23 even when foot valve 24 rests squarely against the bottom of the concentrate container. Foot valve 24 is affixed to the lower end of line 23 and retained with respect thereto by tapered threaded sleeve 49. The material of line 23 allows freedom and flexibility of position and is preferably made of a material of sufficient density to sink heavily to the bottom of the container. It is to be understood that carrier fluids other than water can be employed in the dilution apparatus of the present invention. The carrier fluid could be gasoline, a solvent or the like. Water is a convenient carrier fluid because it is readily available under suflicient pressure to automatically actuate a proportioning device such as described herein. If the carrier fluid is other than water, a pumping unit or a head of liquid diluent would be included to afford the desired pressurization.

It has been found in the operation of the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings that the apparatus is insensitive to pressure variations in the carrier fluid on the inlet side of the eductor. A 40 to l dilution ratio has been maintained with this unit with the water pressure in the carrier line varying from 5 p.s.i.g. to p.s.i.g. In certain installations a pressure regulator can be readily installed on the inlet side if necessary.

The materials of construction for the dilution apparatus will vary according to the nature of the liquid concentrate being employed and, to some extent, on the nature of the carrier fluid. Corrosion-resistant materials are appropriate if the fluids are highly reactive or corrosive.

In applying the dilution apparatus of the present invention to a drum of liquid concentrate the following operational procedures are followed. The two plugs are removed from the top of the drum. The float bottle is dropped through the larger plug opening and the concentrate pickup line is lowered through the smaller plug opening. The apparatus is secured to the drum rim by means of the clamping screws. The carrier valve is closed while the carrier fluid supply line is connected to the apparatus. The solution discharge line is then connected to the point of application. Because the buoyant force on the float bottle causes the proportioning device operating rod to be in the on position, the dilution operation will commence upon opening of the valve in the carrier fluid line. Continuous and automatic operation will prevail until the liquid concentrate has been depleted, whereupon the float-actuated shutoff mechanism will allow the proportioning device operating rod to return to the "off" position, thus preventing further flow of carrier liquid through the proportioning device.

While this invention has been described with respect to various specific examples and embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such examples and embodiments and that it can be variously practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. Dilution apparatus comprising, in combination, carrier fluid supply means, concentrate pickup means, mixing means adapted to proportion said carrier fluid with said concentrate, and shutoff means responsive to depletion of said concentrate and adapted to control said mixing means.

2. Apparatus of claim lwherein said mixing means is an eductor.

3. Apparatus of claim 2 wherein the eductor contains an adjustable orifice to regulate the mixing ratio of carrier fluid and concentrate.

4. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein said shutoff means comprises a float-actuated, spring-loaded trigger mechanism adapted to control flow through said mixing means.

5. Dilution apparatus comprising, in combination, carrier fluid supply means, a container of liquid concentrate, pickup means adapted to remove said concentrate from said container, mixing means adapted to proportion said carrier fluid with said concentrate, and shutoff means responsive to depletion of said concentrate, said shutoff means cooperating with said mixing means to control operation of said apparatus.

6. Dilution apparatus comprising, in combination, a carrier fluid supply line'with flow control means, a container of liquid concentrate, a concentrate pickup hose extended substantially to the bottom of said container, a float member of determined weight within said concentrate, a spring-loaded trigger mechanism responsive to the downward force exerted by said float member, an eductor assembly adapted to mix carrier fluid with said concentrate in a determined proportion, said .eductor assembly containing an operating rod for stopping and starting liquid flow therethrough, said operating rod cooperating with said trigger mechanism for automatic shutoff of said apparatus, a discharge line from said eductor assembly for egress of the diluted solution, and housing and base support means for said eductor assembly and said shutofi means adapted for retention to said container. 

